Wire-inserting mechanism for wire-mesh fabricated material



J. 0. SMITH;

- WIRE lN SERTlNG MECHANISM FOR WIRE MESH FABRICATED MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1920.

1,392,714, Patented Oct. 4, 1921.-

v 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

a Xf n I. D. 'SMITH. WIRE INSERTING MECHANISM FOR WIRE MESH FABRICATED MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, I920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- fmfemfo 7 Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

ICE.

JAMES 1). SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 FRANKLIN 1?. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

Application filed June 30, 1920. Serial No. 392,979.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES D. SMITH, a cltizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, and State of 111i mechanism for wire mesh fabricated mate-' rial, such as guards, inclosures, screens, gratings and the like, and its principal object is to provide means for simplifying the operation of assembling wire mesh fabric with the border or'frame that usually binds the ed es of the wire mesh fabric.

Tn themanufacture of wire mesh guards, inclosures, screens, gratings and'the like, a frame or border'is secured to the edges of the wire mesh work, and the operation of assembling the frame or border and wire mesh work is ordinarily done by hand; it is an irksome and tedious task and requires considerable time.

A common form of frame or border is 'made up of channel iron bars, which are The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification, in

Figure 1- is a' front view of an apparatus vertical section, taken on the line'38 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig.2; Fig. 5 is a horizontal ection taken on line 55 of Fig. 4 but showing the parts in a different position; Fig. 6 is a fragmental rear view of the guide for the wire mesh fabric ends and Fig. 7 is a detail cross section takenon line 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to said drawings, which illustrate a simple embodiment of the present invention, the reference character 8 designates a work table which may be supported by leg 9. The table may be ofany suitable Size to support wire mesh fabric of large or small dimensions. Adjacent one edge of the table 8 is a wire guide 10 for guiding the ends of the wires that are to be inserted, and extending parallel with said wire guide is an inserter bar 11, which may be in the form of an angle iron bar formed with notches 12 in its upper edge that have upstanding fingers 13 between them that are arranged to engage with the wire mesh fabric, to hold it in shape while the ends of the wires are being inserted in the perforations of the frame bars. Means are provided for moving said inserter bar 11 toward and'away from the wire guide 10, and the simple means shown, comprises a plurality of slotted rods or bars 14, guided to move at right angles to the wire guide 10, levers 15 and a spring 16. Conveniently the rodsor bars 14 are slidably supported by plates 17 secured to the upper face of the table 9 and guided thereon by bolts 18 that are secured in the plates 17 and extend through the slots of the bars 14. The levers 15 may be mounted on a shaft 19 supported by-brackets 20 that extend down from the table, and the front ends of the levers may be connected by a rod or bar 21 that acts as a connecting handle for the several levers 15. The arm 22 of the levers 15 are connected to the rear ends of the bars 14 by pins or bolts, and the spring 16 is connected to a plate 17 and to a long arm 23 of one of the levers 15. By pressing down on the handle 21, all of the levers 15 are moved down simultaneously and all of the bars 14 are thereby moved forward in unison, thereby moving the inserter bar 11 and therewith the wire mesh fabric toward the wire guide 10.

In the simple form illustrated said wire guide compresses two separable, companion guide bars 24 and 25, the bar 24 being a stationary one secured to the table 9, and the upper one 25, being vertically movable and guided in ways formed in upright guide posts 26, that are secured to and project up from the table 8. For the convenience of handling the upper guide bar 25, I have provided a lattice like frame 27 which is secured to the upper guide bar 25, and con--' nected tocounter weights 28 by cords or cables 29 trained around pulleys 30, supported at the upper ends of the guide posts 26.

The wire guide 10 is formed with flaring eyes or guide ways 31, through which the semi-circular in shape, whereby, when the two guide bars are brought together the near ends of the opposite notches may form circular openings, and said openings are spaced equidistant and th distance apart is determined by the size and shape of the meshof the wire fabricand the corresponding spacing of the perforations in the frame bars of the finished material.

The front edge and top of the table 8 may be protected by an angle iron bar 41 if desired, and the lower guide-bar 24: may be fastened to said bar. To insure proper register between the opposing notches of the guide-bars I provide tapered dowels or other guide-pins 32 in the lower guide-bar 24 which enter sockets or recesses 33 in the upper guide-bar, and for the purpose of locking the two guide-bars together during the operation of inserting the wires, I provide latches 3 1, on the guide posts 26, which may swing over the upper guide-bar 25, or

' over some part of its frame 27 (see Fig. 3),

whenever the upper guide-bar 25 has been brought down on the lower guide-bar.

A fragment of a sheet or piece of wire mesh fabric is illustrated at 35 in Figs. 4 and 5, and may be of the ordinary dia mond mesh type, or square mesh, and may be made of round or flat wire as desired.

One step in the preparation of diamond mesh fabric for the operation of assembling it with the frame is to bend the ends of the wires straight out at placesalong the margin of the sheet or piece of fabric, and, as

square mesh fabric, thisbending operation is omitted.

'The frame bar for one edge of the sheet or piece of fabric is shown at 37 and may be in the form of a channel iron bar as shown. It is formed with a row of perforations 38 spaced equidistant at the proper places, to receive the bent end portions 36 of the wire fabric. A support is provided for holding the frame bar 37 in position in front of the wire guide 10 and said support may comprise brackets 39 secured to the table 8 and having horizontal parts upon which the bar 37 lies, and upright parts that hold the bar 37 against sidewise movement. A. stop or gage 40 secured to the table 8 may be used to locate the frame bars 37 properly with the perforations thereof in register with the small ends of the guide openings or eyes 31.

In the operation of the apparatus, the

sheet or piece of wire mesh fabric is'laid on the table 8 in engagement with the inserter bar, 11, a row of intersections of the wires being placed in the notches of the inserter bar as shown. When properly placed on the inserter bar, the wire mesh fabric is thereby held incshape with the wire ends 36 pointed toward the eyes or guide openings 31. The. upper guide bar 25 having been lowered and secured in place, and a perforated frame bar 37 having been put in place on the brackets 39, the handle 21 is swung down, and the rods 14 and inserter bar llthereby moved forward, carrying forward the-wire 'mesh fabric. The wire ends 36 enter the flaring eyes or guide openings 31 and are guided by thetapered walls thereof to the holes in the frame bar 37. After the ends have been passed through the holes of the frame bars, the latches'3 1 are disconnected from the upper guide-bar 25, the latter raised and the wire mesh fabric with the attached bar lifted from the table. The handle 21 is then released, permitting the spring 16 to return the levers 15, rods 14: and inserter bar 11 to their retracted position. The wire ends are afterward bent back against the frame bar to fasten it to the wire mesh fabric as usual.

The eyes or guide-ways 31 and fingers of the inserter bar are spaced to conform to the shape of the mesh work and spacing of the wires of the fabric, and the apparatus may be provided with several guides 10 and inserters 11 arranged for use in connection with several shapes and spacings of wire mesh fabric.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possible without depart ing from the spirit of this invention; I desire, therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the construction shown and described, but intend, in the following claims, to point out all of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 7

1. Apparatus. for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with frame bars, comprising a wire guide having tapering Wire guiding eyes, an inserter bar having wire mesh engaging fingers, and actuating means for said inserter bar.

2. Apparatus for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with perforated frame bars, comprising a wire guide, consisting of upper'and lower, separable guide bars, provided with oppositely disposed tapered guide Ways, and wire inserting mechanism having wire mesh engaging fingers.

3. An apparatus for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with perforated frame bars, a wire guide for guiding the wires to the perforations of the frame bars, comprising upper and lower separable, oppositely notched, guide bars, the notches being of tapering formation.

4. Apparatus for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with perforated frame bars, comprising upper and lower separable, oppositely notched bars, the opposing notches forming tapering guide-ways, a support for holding a perforated frame bar in position in front of said guide bars with the perforations of the frame bar in register with the guide-ways, and an inserter having fab- I ric adjusting members.

5. Apparatus for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with perforated frame bars, comprising upper and lower, separable, oppositely notched bars, the opposing notches forming tapering guide-ways, a support for holding a perforated frame bar in position in front of said guide bars with the perforations of the frame bar in register with the guide-ways, an inserter bar having fabric adjusting fingers and an actuating lever operatively connected to said bar.

6. Apparatus for use in assembling wire mesh fabric with perforated frame bars, comprising upper and lover, separable, oppositely notched bars, the opposing notches forming tapering guide-ways, a support for holding a perforated frame bar in position in front of said guide bars with the perforations of the frame bar in register with the guide-ways, an inserter bar having fabric adjusting fingers, means for guiding said inserter bar, and a lever for actuating said inserter' bar.

JAMES D. SMITH. 

